Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 38

Millicent sat up in the bed where the warmth of her husband huddled around her. Her eyes pushed together for a while and she turned to see Jace on his stomach, his hand still possessively holding her even though they had slipped as she sat up. He was dressed just as she was because they had woken up earlier and he had surprisingly made a good breakfast for them. Now as she was awoken from her slumber, her mind slipped back to the task at hand. How to reveal what she had discovered.

Her hand unconsciously slipped toward his mop of hair that she had suddenly come to love. They looked so unruly when they were untamed and especially after she had abused them a little too much. She smiled as his nose twitched when she pushed the hair that covered his face. With another last glance she got out of the bed when a plan formulated in her mind. Millicent walked to the bathroom and retrieved whatever she needed before coming back and settling next to Jace trying her best to seek as much of the safety and warmth he provided her.

"Where did you go?" Her heart stuttered at his rough voice. Her eyes traveled to him but his eyes were still closed. The hand tightening on her waist reminded her of the question she had failed to reply as she got lost in him again.

"Hm, to the restroom." As she spoke, his blue-gray eyes that looked like the midnight skies glittering with stars after he woke up were revealed and focused on her bright brown ones. Her breath hitched as some memories flashed through her making her body heat up. It was no help when he traced his hand up to grab her neck, angle it and then latch his mouth in the open space he had created.

Jace pulled back to see her still held in the contentment of being showered with his love. "You left me all alone." He turned to check the time. "Wow, it's almost noon." He faced her to see that she was looking a little disturbed.

'What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Millicent lifted her eyes so that she could meet him and she greedily breathed in a calming breath, sitting up on the bed and smiled slightly when he did the same. For some reason, his movements were always in tune with hers and she had no idea whether it was intentional or just something that was Jace. She pushed herself forward and dropped a loving and chaste kiss on his lips but before she could pull back, he was drowning her in a more passionate one.

They broke apart and her eyes sparked at the sheer exuberance she found on his face. "I thought you wanted to know what was bothering me?" Jace lifted a brow at this. "You know if you start something it will be..." Millicent gestured with her head to the window in the large room, insinuating something being thrown out.

Jace sat up and held onto the air of seriousness that filtered through.

"Do you remember what happened in chapter 22 and 23 of part two of Anna Karenina?" She saw his brows scrunch together in focus.

"That's very specific, baby. But Anna had started the affair with Vronsky then." He saw her impressed look and suppressed a smug grin but she shook her head and that feeling evaporated.

"What else can you remember?"

"Baby, you never said we were going to have a pop quiz on your bedtime story." Millicent giggled when he whined about this.

"Well, if you don't want to answer, I may as well take my reward away." Her mouth stretched a pinch when his eyes caught a gleam and he sat up higher.

"A reward." Jace said in bubbling curiosity before proceeding to think about the story.

"Wait, wasn't that when she found out that she was pregnant?" He watched with an expectant look but his wife never responded. She sat back on her knees before holding his shoulders as leverage and leaning forward so her face was beside him as she spoke slowly into his ear that was next to her.